Egypt
Martyrdom of Hegumen Arsanios Wadid
7 April 2022
Summary
On the evening of Thursday, 7 April 2022, at approximately 8 PM, while present at the Sidi Bishr area east of Alexandria with a group of youth and servants from his church following a trip to Abu Haifa beach, Hegumen Arsanios Wadid, priest of the Church of the Virgin Mary and St. Bolas in Karmooz, was suddenly attacked and stabbed by a 60-year-old man, who wounded him in the neck, severing the main artery. He was immediately transferred to the Military Hospital in Sidi Gaber, where resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful, and he passed away shortly after arrival.
Background
Hegumen Arsanios had served his congregation at Karmooz Church for over 20 years since his ordination, and faced threats and sectarian attacks at the beginning of his priesthood (including a sword threat incident in 2008). The circumstances surrounding his martyrdom remain somewhat ambiguous regarding the motive, as eyewitness testimonies at the time indicated that the attacker appeared to be suffering from psychological disturbance.
Incident Details
According to the official statement of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, a criminal in the Sidi Bishr area stabbed Hegumen Arsanios Wadid in the neck, severing the main artery. The attacker was immediately arrested, and Arsanios was transferred to the Military Hospital in Sidi Gaber, where several attempts to resuscitate his heart were unsuccessful. According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred while he was returning with a group of church youth and servants from a trip to Abu Haifa beach, heading to board a tourist bus, when a person attacked him with a knife, stabbing him multiple times, one of which was in the neck.
Timeline
24 August 1966
Rezk Wadid (his name before ordination) born in Cairo
16 June 1995
Ordained priest by Pope Shenouda III to serve Karmooz Church
16 October 2021
Received the rank of Hegumen from Pope Tawadros II
7 April 2022
Martyred by stabbing in Sidi Bishr, Alexandria, after returning from a church trip
8 April 2022
Funeral prayers held at St. Mark Cathedral, then buried at St. Mina Monastery in Borg Arab
11 June 2022
Alexandria Criminal Court issued a death sentence for the perpetrator
13 January 2025
Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence finally
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